“The same goes for the players. Wesley Sneijder stands out, as he came to say goodbye and I'll keep between us what we said. That really wasn't the problem.”

Gasperini explains the squad that was put together simply did not fit the 3-4-3 system he has used throughout his career.

“Sneijder is a champion, but I don't use a trequartista, so I tried playing him deeper, then a bit higher, closer to the goal. I tried everything, but none of it worked.

“I thought that things would develop over the summer. I know the transfer market has certain requirements and time restraints, but before bringing anyone in we had to sell some players.

“I make my decisions, but I respect the club's role. It did take over a month to sell Samuel Eto'o and that was torture, but we knew with that amount of money that it couldn't end any other way.

“Nonetheless, I thought that after Eto'o was sold, we would make other transfers. Once he was gone, I requested only two players: Ezequiel Lavezzi and Rodrigo Palacio.

“If we didn't have enough money to spend, then we could've sold Sneijder, Goran Pandev (who was instead ‘gifted' on loan to Napoli), Macdonald Mariga and Sulley Muntari.

“With two wide attackers, plus Diego Milito or Giampaolo Pazzini in the centre, there would've been no problems. They'd play 30 games each between Serie A, the Champions League and Coppa Italia.

“Instead we signed Diego Forlan. He is another champion, both on the field and off. I thought of playing him wide left and Sneijder could start from that position too. At the end of the day, someone had to stay on the bench.

“My real problem was in midfield,” continued Gasperini. “I immediately saw problems in the middle, as there were players of extraordinary quality, but battle-worn and ageing.

“I even asked, why did we buy Juraj Kucka only to leave him at Genoa for six months? He has the physically strong characteristics that certainly aren't the same as those of Andrea Poli.”

Ultimately, the Coach puts the blame on the Nerazzurri for not listening to his requirements.

“I know results decide everything, but Inter knew my system was 3-4-3. It's not as if I don't know any other tactics, but I believe that this system gets the best results out of my teams.

“Everyone knew I intended to play this way, but it wasn't enough and I am not so arrogant as to make demands. I explained it when I spoke to the Inter directors three times.

“This is why I thought the controversy over the tactics was a means to an end. If Inter didn't believe in my style of football, then why did they choose me?”